Mystery Shoppers

Featured Article April '09

Restaurants Serve-up Robust January

The Peach Business Tracker, which is run in conjunction with UBS and KPMG, aims to monitor sale trends among leading groups in the eating and drinking out sector. The Tracker has just released its first report giving us a picture of sales in January 2009.

Generally the news was good. Sales fell by only 12.5% compared to December and like-for-like was up 5.6% from January 2008. This has largely been put down to heavy discounting by pub and restaurant chains and the extended New Year’s holiday.

Peter Martin, Peach Factory chief-executive and founder, said that ‘people are continuing to go out, and the major players are working hard to maintain that.’

Commenting on the report Richard Hathaway, KPMG’s head of Travel, Leisure and Tourism, added that ‘the figures suggest the eating and drinking out sector is showing resilience in the downturn’. Though he noted that ‘the test will be whether January’s sales bounce continues and translates to the bottom line.’

In particular he queried whether the ‘plethora of promotional activity will have helped drive sales in the sector, but could ultimately impact profitability.’

Mr. Martin echoed that concern, saying ‘the weight of discount offers and marketing activity now characterizing the sector were simply not in play this time last year.’

The question of promotional offers, though, cannot be seen in exclusion of other aspects. As Mr. Martin put it the figures suggest that ‘the public continues to want to go out and eat and drink when the experience and offer is right, and that well-run pubs and restaurants provide a welcome respite from the gloom of the down-turn.’

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